Howard County : an economic history

Abstract:

This project was developed as an instructional unit for social science classes and consists of two parts. The primary component of this effort is a calendar for the year 1999. The calendar is divided into 52 weekly increments, and each page consists of 7 days. Each entry has a year, highlighted in red, and some information that occurred on that day. The seven-day format was used to provide as much information possible in a limited amount of space. Since Howard County's formation, 155 years have passed. As a result, most years received only two entries while other years received more. The information found on the calendar came primarily from Howard County newspapers. Throughout this study, particular attention was given to the costs of goods and services.The second part of this project, the accompanying paper, is based on the accounts found in the newspapers and supporting material. Additionally, those descriptions were set in a theoretical framework that contrasts Howard County's development relative to other undeveloped parts of the world. Moreover, the local development trajectory is viewed as part of a nation building process set in motion by the Monroe Doctrine. With this in mind, the goal of this work is to understand the forces that developed Howard County and the factors that contributed to sustaining the local economy.